The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 158: Khan is so thoughtful, the queen will definitely like it (first update).

Chapter 158: Khan is so thoughtful, the queen will definitely like it (first update).

Li Xianyun led her entourage back.

"Fifty-five silver taels a month, I can’t go any lower," said the landlord.

"Fifty taels," Li Xianyun insisted.

With a clench of his teeth, the landlord said, "Fifty taels it is, then."

He paused before adding, "I didn’t expect someone as young as you to be so skilled at bargaining."

Li Xianyun smiled and responded, "It’s not that I’m particularly good at bargaining, it’s just that the price you’re asking is too high for my budget."

She always followed one principle in handling affairs: be flexible and adaptable, show humility when it’s called for, and display weakness when necessary.

These words gave the landlord quite a bit of comfort.

Li Xianyun and the landlord signed a lease agreement in front of witnesses.

There were two copies, with the monthly rent set at fifty taels for a term of three years, to be paid annually.

Li Xianyun also specifically added a clause that the rent could not be raised within three years.

Some landlords, seeing their business premises booming, would choose to raise the rent, so she added this clause to avoid trouble in the future.

Of course, she included several additional terms that were to her advantage.

In the end, the landlord couldn’t help but say with a wry smile, "I feel like I’ve encountered an expert. Are you really only seventeen or eighteen years old?"

Li Xianyun laughed, "I’ll take that as a compliment."

At this remark, everyone laughed.

After signing the contract, Li Xianyun took a silver note of six hundred taels from Youlan and handed it to the landlord.

The landlord left a large ring of keys behind.

Once the landlord had left, Li Xianyun handed the keys to Ali and also gave him four hundred taels in silver notes to hire someone to refurbish the shop and to recruit a kitchen maid and waiters.

Ali had previously helped in a tavern and was well acquainted with kitchen maids and waiters, so recruiting them could be considered well within his wheelhouse.

Li Xianyun walked with Ali through each room, discussing the requirements for the refurbishment.

Ali, being literate, took special care to write down the requirements on paper, very attentively.

Seeing this, Li Xianyun felt increasingly confident that she had chosen the right person for the job.

After giving her instructions, Li Xianyun led her people back to the Imperial Palace.

She had many things to attend to upon her return to the palace.

After Li Xianyun’s party departed, Ali excitedly surveyed the shop, still unable to believe it was real.

On one hand, he was grateful for Li Xianyun’s life-saving favor and recognition, and on the other hand, he was resolved to work hard and live up to her trust in him.

Sitting in the carriage on the way back to the palace, Li Xianyun lifted the curtain and leisurely enjoyed the passing scenery.

After a busy half-day, she felt a bit tired and appreciated the chance to rest on the road back to the palace.

Zhuo Ma looked at Li Xianyun, thinking to herself: In recent days, the mistress seemed to have spent over two thousand taels and likely had many more expenses to come, but she seemed very generous with spending money, as if she had plenty of it.

Unable to help herself, Zhuo Ma asked, "Mistress, are you very wealthy?"

Turning to look at her, Li Xianyun smiled and said, "Do you think I’m too extravagant in the way I spend money?"

"Not at all."

"If you want to make money, the initial investment is indispensable," Li Xianyun said.

Seeing that Li Xianyun did not directly answer her question, Zhuo Ma realized there were things Li Xianyun preferred not to discuss, so she didn’t ask any further.

Although the mistress was mysterious, being with her brought comforts and delicacies, and she treated her servants well, which left everyone quite content.

The group quickly returned to the Khan Palace, and Yelu Yan had not yet come back.

Li Xianyun had previously visited the Northern Great Camp, quite a distance away; to go there and back took two hours, and since Yelu Yan had left late this morning, he was unlikely to return any time soon.

Li Xianyun rested for a moment before heading to the kitchen where she planned to teach the kitchen maids to make candied apricot.

The kitchen maids were delighted when they heard this, it looked like they were in for a treat today.

Li Xianyun instructed the kitchen maids to split the ripe apricots in halves, remove the pits, and then evenly sprinkle them with granulated sugar to marinate for an hour.

Afterward, they steamed the marinated apricot halves in a clay pot.

Watching the white steam rise from the lid of the pot, Li Xianyun told her audience of kitchen maids, "Make sure not to add water while marinating the apricot halves, since they will release a lot of liquid during the process, which is sufficient."

She paused and added, "Also, when steaming the apricot halves, do not use an iron pot because it can rust, turning the apricots black and rendering them unappetizing to look at."

The kitchen maids responded, "Understood."

Li Xianyun continued to instruct them, "Actually, the method for making candied apricot is quite similar to that for candied peach. Tomorrow, this princess will lead you in making candied peach, which is also delicious in flavor."

Seeing the eager look on everyone’s faces, Li Xianyun smiled and pursed her lips.

Once the water was boiling, Li Xianyun used two pieces of white cloth to remove the clay pot, transferred the cooked apricots into an iron basin to cool, marinated them for another hour, and dried them to complete the process.

By the time Yelu Yan returned to Khan Palace, it was already twilight.

He dismounted and hastened up the high platform of the Khan Palace, asking, "Where is the princess consort?"

The guard at the door replied respectfully, "Your Highness Khan, the Princess Consort is in the main building."

Before the guard could finish speaking, Yelu Yan had already passed through the tall gateway.

Approaching the main building, Yelu Yan slowed his pace and straightened his attire.

A guard respectfully handed a birdcage to Yelu Yan.

Accepting the birdcage, Yelu Yan looked at the guard and inquired, "Do you think the Princess Consort will like it?"

The guard hastily replied, "With Khan’s thoughtful gesture, the Princess Consort will surely be pleased."

On his way back to the capital from the military camp, Yelu Yan had visited the "Flowers, Birds, Insects, and Fish" market, hoping to bring back something novel to cheer up Li Xianyun.

But after looking around, he was at a loss about what to buy.

As Yelu Yan wondered what fresh thing to bring to Li Xianyun, the delightful chirping of small birds caught his attention, and an idea struck him.

Carrying the birdcage, Yelu Yan entered the main building and asked, "Where is the Princess Consort?"

A maid answered respectfully, "The Princess Consort is in the Erfang, making toys for Princely Heir Yelu Xuan. This servant will go and inform her immediately."

"No need, I shall go myself," declared Yelu Yan as he carried the birdcage towards the Erfang.

Having heard from Zhuo Ma that Yelu Xuan’s birthday was approaching, Li Xianyun decided to make a set of Luban locks as a gift for him.

Youlan and Zhuo Ma attended to her at the side.

Zhuo Ma, marveling at the various shapes of the Luban locks Li Xianyun had made, sincerely exclaimed, "My Lady, your craftsmanship is truly excellent."

Li Xianyun smiled and said, "Are you hungry? Go ahead and eat. I’ll join you for the meal after I finish this last one."

She always worked meticulously and found it hard to stop once she started, preferring to finish everything in one go before turning to other tasks.

Forgetting to eat and sleep while working was quite common for her.

Youlan laughed, "This servant is not hungry. The candied apricot the master made was so delicious that I indulged a little too much."

"This servant too, I’m still feeling quite full and not at all hungry," Zhuo Ma added with a smile.

"My Lady, if it continues like this, this servant will gain weight again," Youlan jested.

Li Xianyun laughed, "I was planning to make candied peach tomorrow, but it seems I won’t need to."

"No, no, no, this servant was just joking," Youlan quickly waved her hands.

Zhuo Ma picked up a Luban lock and playfully remarked as she toyed with it, "My Lady, with such skilled hands, the future little prince and princess will be very fortunate – whatever toy they wish for, you will be able to make it."